KANNUR l monday l november 17, 2025 l `9.00 l PAGES 12 l city EDITION Trump’s Gaza peace plan faces crucial vote today at UNSC The United Nations Security Council (UNSC) will vote on Monday on a resolution endorsing US President Donald Trump’s Gaza peace plan ‘No’ vote equals support for Hamas: U.S. The US last week began negotiations within the 15-member Security Council on a draft resolution. “Any refusal to back this resolution is a vote either for the continued reign of Hamas terrorists or for a return to war with Israel, condemning the region and its people to perpetual conflict,” US ambassador to UN Mike Waltz wrote in The Washington Post | P9 5 pm Draft mentions future Palestinian state ■ The draft backs Trump’s 20-point ceasefire plan, which proposes the creation of a Board of Peace under his leadership and a stabilisation force. It mentions a possible future Palestinian state ■ Speaking at a Cabinet meeting on Sunday, Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu reiterated the opposition to a Palestinian state local time on monday is when the UNSC will vote on U.S. resolution CHENNAI ■ MADURAI ■ VIJAYAWADA ■ BENGALURU ■ KOCHI ■ HYDERABAD ■ VISAKHAPATNAM ■ COIMBATORE ■ KOZHIKODE ■ THIRUVANANTHAPURAM ■ BELAGAVI ■ BHUBANESWAR ■ SHIVAMOgGA ■ MANGALURU ■ TIRUPATI ■ TIRUCHY ■ TIRUNELVELI ■ SAMBALPUR ■ HUBBALLI ■ DHARMAPURI ■ KOTTAYAM ■ KANNUR ■ VILLUPURAM ■ KOLLAM ■ TADEPALLIGUDEM ■ NAGAPATTINAM ■ THRISSUR ■ KALABURAGI NDA firms up formula for Bihar govt formation BJP expected to get 15-16 ministers, JD(U) 14 and LJP(RV) 3; buzz on one of the two deputy CM posts going to LJP(RV) Three more daughters move out of Lalu’s family ra m a s han k ar @ Patna BIHAR Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Sunday held a series of meetings with National Democratic Alliance (NDA) leaders at his official residence in Patna to discuss the formation of a new government after the ruling alliance secured a three-fourth majority, winning 202 out of 243 seats, in the Assembly elections. Union minister of state for home Nityanand Rai and Rashtriya Lok Morcha (RLM) chief and Rajya Sabha MP Upendra Kushwaha were among those who met Nitish. Earlier, he convened discussions with senior JD(U) leaders and all newly elected MLAs. JD(U) MP Rajiv Ranjan Singh alias Lalan Singh also attended. Sources said the NDA would follow the same formula for portfolio allocation as it did for ticket distribution. Nitish Kumar’s JD(U) will retain the Chief Minister’s post, while the BJP and Chirag Paswan’s LJP (Ram Vilas) are likely to get one Deputy CM each. As per the cabinet-sharing formula, the BJP is expected to get 15-16 ministerial berths, the JD(U) around 14, the LJP (RV) three, and Jitan Ram Manjhi’s HAM and Upendra Kushwaha’s RLM one each. “During the tick- said, “Yesterday’s incident has shaken me to the core. What hapTHE turbulence within the Rash- pened to my sister is unbearatriya Janata Dal’s (RJD) first ble.” Without naming anyone, he family deepened on Sunday, a accused “new faces” of clouding day after Lalu Prasad’s daughter Tejashwi Yadav’s judgment and Rohini Acharya announced her warned that the consequences of decision to quit politics “this injustice will be and sever ties with her grave.” RJD review family . “I urge my father to meeting today What began as a sinintervene for the famigle outburst has now RJD has convened ly’s honour,” he said. a meeting of its snowballed into a fullNeither Tejashwi newly elected blown family crisis. nor his advisor, RJD MLAs and senior Three more of Lalu’s MP Sanjay Yadav, has daughters—Rajlaksh- leaders on Monday responded to Rohini’s mi, Ragini and Chan- to analyse its poll alle gations linking result. “The da—left the family’s 10, them to the family’s Circular Road resi- leaders will discuss discord. RJD managed party’s poor dence in Patna early just 25 seats in the reperformance in Monday, taking their cent Assembly polls. polls,” said RJD’s children and flying to Rohini, who contestChitranjan Delhi. Sources said ed the 2024 Lok Sabha Gagan | P8 their departure reflectpolls from Saran, aled growing distress leged harassment and over the recent turmoil. threats from Sanjay Yadav and On Sunday, Tej Pratap Yadav, his associate Rameez. With Rawho heads the newly launched jlakshmi, Ragini, and Chanda’s Janshakti Janata Dal (JJD), is- exit, only Lalu, Rabri Devi, and sued an emotional appeal to his Misa Bharti remain at the family father and a veiled warning to home, which was once the nerve those he termed “traitors.” He centre of RJD’s politics. ra m a s han k ar @ Patna BJP supporters celebrate NDA’s victory in the Bihar Legislative Assembly elections, in Patna, on Sunday | PTI et distribution, for every MP, an NDA partner was given five-six assembly seats. So, it is likely that the same formula may be in place for cabinet berths,” said a senior BJP leader. With 85 MLAs, the JD(U) could secure 14 berths besides the CM post. Deputy CM Vijay Kumar Sinha is likely to be replaced by LJP (RV) state president Raju Tiwari, elected from Govindganj, while former Union Minister Ram Kripal Yadav, who won from Danapur, is being considered for the same post from the BJP’s side. In the recently-concluded Assembly election, the NDA swept aside the Mahagathbandhan, with BJP emerging as the singlelargest party, winning 89 seats. JD(U) followed with 85, LJP (RV) 19, HAM five, and RLM four. The RJD-led combine could muster only 35 seats. The JD(U) has instructed all its MLAs to remain in Patna from Monday onwards. Nitish is expected to recommend dissolution of the current cabinet on Monday before submitting his resignation to the Governor. This could be followed by the NDA meeting, sources said. Nitish could take oath as Chief Minister for a record tenth time on Wednesday or Thursday depend, ing on Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s availability . Preparations for the oath ceremony have begun at the historic P8 Gandhi Maidan in Patna.  Cong wakes up to SIR concerns after Bihar poll rout, calls meeting P R E E T H A N A I R @ New Delhi pious beginning Melsanthi Arun Kumar Nampoothiri opening the sreekovil of Sabarimala Temple, marking the beginning of the annual Mandala-Makaravilakku season in the presence of thantri Kandararu Mahesh Mohanaru on Sunday | P5 BLO dies by suicide; SIR work stress blamed E x pre s s N e w s Ser v i c e @ Kannur A booth-level officer (BLO) involved the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) related work died by suicide in Kannur on Sunday allegedly due to work pressure. The incident has ignited a storm in the state with the BLOs deciding to boycott SIR-related procedure on Monday, alleging that they are being overtaxed. Aneesh George, 41, from Ettukudukka in KankolAlappadamba panchayat near Payyanur, allegedly hanged himself him in his house. Aneesh, an attendant at the AUP School at Kunnaru near Ramanthali, was also serving as a BLO. According to his family and neighbours, Aneesh had been struggling to meet the “unrealistic task” imposed on him. “He took his family to the church in the morning and returned home, and later he ended his life. Although he faced some difficulty in identifying a few houses during his BLO work, he managed by asking others for help. We never imagined he would take such a step. Usually, he would go to school, return, and stay indoors,” said Shyju V K, Aneesh’s neighbour. Peringome police have registered a case for unnatural death under Section 184 of BNSS. According to the police report, he hanged himself to death in the hall on the upper floor of the house. Meanwhile, Kannur District Collector Arun K Vijayan said preliminary inquiry showed no signs of workrelated pressure. “Aneesh had been performing well as a BLO. In the first phase of the SIR process, which required distributing enumeration forms to households, he had already completed 77% of the work in his ward under the Payyanur assembly constituency. The chief electoral officer (CEO) has asked for a detailed report on his death. After combining the findings from the electoral registration officer (ERO) and the police, a consolidated report will be sent to the CEO,” he said.  ● More on P5 1STNIA IN rED FORT ARREST by BOMB BLAST CASE The National Investigation Agency has arrested Amir Rashid Ali, in whose name the car used in the blast was registered | P7 WEEKS after the Election Commission launched the second phase of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in 12 states and UTs, including poll-bound Tamil Nadu, West Bengal, Kerala, and Puducherry, the Congress has called a review meeting of party functionaries from all regions where the revision process is underway . A senior party leader said the meeting, involving AICC in-charges, Pradesh Congress Committee chiefs, Congress Legislature Party leaders, and secretaries of the 12 States and UTs, will be held at Indira Bhawan in New Delhi on Tuesday The meeting . is expected to assess ground reports submitted by state units and prepare a unified response to SIR. On October 27, the ECI rolled out the second phase of the SIR, expected to cover nearly 51 crore voters across 12 states and UTs. The initiative has sparked political unease in opposition-ruled states. Tamil Nadu, West Bengal, and Kerala have escalated their objections to the move, with some even exploring legal options. As reported by this paper, despite being the primary opposition party, Congress had not convened a joint meeting or crafted a coordinated strategy with its alliance partners on SIR. EXPRESS READ Munambam agitation enters 400th day Kochi: Four hundred days and counting! The indefinite relay hunger strike on the premises of Velankanni Matha Church, in Munambam, may have hit a milestone, but the fate of the over 600 local families remains in suspended animation. Even after the Kerala High Court ruled that their land is not waqf, the state government has not initiated any steps towards restoring their revenue rights. P5 SIT to conduct scientific test at Sabarimala Pathanamthitta: The Special Investigation Team (SIT) probing the missing of gold from the Sabarimala temple reached the hill shrine on Sunday to conduct a scientific test, police officials said. The test, suggested by the HC, will be carried out after 1pm on Monday, following the Deva Anujna (divine permission) rituals. Apart from the police, forensic experts will join the team for procedure. P5 for gambhir and co, it’s pitch dark at home S w aroop s w a m inathan @ Kolkata EVEN before the presentation ceremony was over, the ground staff at the Eden Gardens, as if to carry out a meta joke, watered the square. With natural light dying, the 22 yards was properly bathed, a dark sheen shimmering in the distance. It was the first time the strip had been hydrated since last Saturday, over a week ago. You can draw a straight line between the Indian team’s decision to not water the pitch to losing a fourth Test in eight home games since Gautam Gambhir was appointed to the post last year (decisions like not watering the strip are usually made by the leadership group, something that happened in Kolkata as well). “This (the pitch) is what we wanted,” Gambhir after the match. “This is what we got.” With the ball misbehaving from as early as the first over on Day 1, both teams knew they were in for a dogfight. India have flipped-flopped on the kind of pitches they want but it had seemed like they were going away from this model. However, Sunday was a sharp reminder of how spectacularly it can backfire. So, why did the Indian team go back to a designer surface for the visit of South Africa after playing on two typical sub-conti- nental decks against West Indies? Was it because of the stakes of WTC points? Was it because of their somewhat inexperienced batting line-up? Was it to take the toss out of the equation even if they have lost on these tracks after losing the toss? Gambhir defended the pitch by saying the batters should be able to absorb pressure. He called it more mental than skill. But after a point, survival is nigh on impossible. And that is no way for the game to be played. With less than one week to regroup — the next Test starts in Guwahati on Saturday — how will the team management dig themselves out of a hole of their own choosing?  P11 South Africa players celebrate their win over India in the first Test at Kolkata on Sunday | sayantan ghosh G rea t P e o p l e ’ s M ar c h Colour and song return to climate talks in Brazil S O U M YA S A R K A R @ Belém (Brazil) A demonstration during the ‘Great People’s March’ in Belém, Brazil on Saturday | Soumya Sarkar The gypsies invariably brought colour and magic to the grey city of Macondo in ‘One Hundred Years of Solitude’. Belém is no Macondo living in isolation and innocence, neither are the indigenous people and climate activists who joined the “Great People’s March”on Saturday at halfway point of the UN climate summit the wandering Roma. But the tens of thousands marching through the streets of the Amazonian host city demanding climate action did splash a vi- brant palette of colours and added song and dance to the otherwise grey proceedings at the conference venue of Parque da Cidade. Through the late mor ning hours, the procession stretched for kilometres—a river of red, white, yellow and green flags flowing past watching crowds leaning from balconies to capture the spectacle on their phones. The streets pulsed with drumbeats and chants as protest transformed into celebration, grief into performance. In the most gothic part of the procession, demonstrators carried enormous coffins marked for oil, coal and gas. A 30-metre inflatable serpent wound through the marchers, an enormous anaconda symbolising the sacred and iconic Amazonian creature. A giant balloon painted as Earth bobbed on the streets while sound systems on trucks blared everything from Brazilian samba to socialist anthems. The joy was deliberate, the defiance unmistakable. This was the first major protest outside UN climate talks since Glasgow four years ago. The last three summits —held in autocratic Egypt, the United Arab Emirates and Azerbaijan—offered no such freecontinued on: p7 dom.